A-series

Alright, so recently I noticed that it appears my radiator has a small leak, very small.

Even after flushing it several times (a while ago) there's quite a bit of white deposits built up inside it, so maybe flushing it got rid of some of the crap that was plugging the leak :shrug: Also has tons of stone damage so who knows...
Either way I'd rather have the engine surfaces clean and coolant that isn't 10+yrs. old so no regrets.

Anyway, it keeps raining but once it stops, I was think of using plumber's tape on the threads of the draincock/drain plug just to see if that's where the leak is coming from (assuming I can't see/feel it elsewhere).

That way I'll know just to replace the $0.95 gasket/o-ring down there, or maybe just leave the tape on it, instead of letting it leak for another 2-6 months until I can replace the rad.

I'm guessing that the tape would be OK for a little while, but more than a day or two at those sort of temperatures? :dunno: I don't want to end up doing more harm by having that crap break down and spread potentially harmful crap throughout the motor.

edit: I just looked at a pic of the drain plug again and the rubber gasket is before the threads, so the gasket goes in first... I'm thinking it should be alright, but I've been wrong before.

So, any thoughts?

finnstang

I doubt the o-ring is the problem. You need to just replace the radiator.

A-series

Deep down I know that's probably the case... still in denial I guessh:

It's still raining here with no signs of stopping(for more than an hour at a time:upset

If it would just get done with I could determine what's actually going on.

Oh, and that idea seemed a lot less stupid last night :chuckles:

94jdmcivic

Yeah you should just replace the radiator. It will be worth it in the long run.

A-series

Ya know what, you just convinced me

I'm gonna go look up prices, see if I can get a good deal w/ free shipping...

Believe me though, if I had a good job, I would've replaced it after first seeing all the crap that had built up inside.

I like taking good care of my car, but I also like food, etc.:chuckles:

A-series

Aaaannnyway.

Turns out it is just the drainplug that's leaking. Phewww.

Only had a few chances to look at it up close (w/out rain in my face, etc.) but it appears as if it leaks once the motor cools down, not when at operating temp(and, more importantly, pressure) so it should be OK for a while.

It's got to just be the rubber gasket that needs replacing, but I might as well order a new plug w/ gasket combo while I'm at it. That is, once I come up with enough stuff that the order is $50 or more. I don't want to pay $7 shipping for a $3 part.
Might just end up paying $6-$8 (just a guess) to get it through a local store, we'll see.

In conclusion, I really feel lucky that the radiator itself is holding up, despite all the neglect by previous owners.

edit: only other possibility as far as I can tell is that there is a small crack in the plastic base, where the plug screws into the rad. No real way for me to see in there without draining and removing the rad. though so I'll be taking the cheap route first.
The way I see it, seems hard to believe anything cracked in there, due to the robust plastic used and fact that you only hand-tighten the draincock (unless you're missing chromosomes).

i-Douche

Not really necessary, but it's kind of a ghey thread so rather than just take up space, I figured I'd try to cram as much potentially-useful crap in here

Got a new drain cock from the local auto parts store for just under $5. Not from the oem manufacturer but, as you might expect, it appears it will do just fine.

I was a little surprised to notice such a difference in the appearance of the gasket from the old part to the new one, mainly b/c you screw it in by hand. Obviously the pressure of the cooling system and the heat(combined with the rubber just getting old), over time, changed it's shape permanently.

Here's the old one:



And a new one:



It appears to have fixed the leak so far, only had it in there a day. I took the opportunity to fill the rad. back up with new 50/50 mix coolant since previously I had flushed the system with pure water and then drained only the rad. before adding the coolant. Meaning that there was probably only a 40%(at most) mixture of anti-freeze in there.

Lastly, the idea of putting sealant tape on the threads just wouldn't work on this style of drain cock. I don't believe it would work on any Honda (as well as many other makes/models), but I believe there are at least a few out there, that drain past the threads, where it might do the trick.

Jafro

One way to find coolant leaks is to run the car until it's at full operating temperature, put a rag over the upper coolant hose (to help prevent burning yourself) and SQUEEZE the hose while the car is running to see where coolant squirts out from. Don't ever squeeze near the ends of the hose are or torque the hose out of its position because if you break the end cap of the radiator off, you could severely burn yourself. Contents under pressure sort of thing. Usually with just a light squeeze, leaks become apparent.

Auto parts stores sell o-rings, and all you should have had to do is replace the o-ring on the plug for like 50¢. I understand the logic of getting another plug. Draining all your coolant while you go inside and maybe not find the right o-ring would certainly suck.

Advanced Douche

(OP, I'm having handle... "issues")

I looked into getting just the gasket, online was under $1(but $7 S&H) but no place locally could find just the gasket alone w/out the plug.

I live in one of those special areas where ordering a part for a Honda can be difficult sometimes. In fact, the drain cock w/ gasket that I got, was considered a special order item, under the "HELP!" line of products or whatever.

As to squeezing the rad. hoze when it's up to temp. and pressure, I wouldn't do that personally. I realize that may help find a leak, but I don't trust my hoses or myself enough to do that h:

finnstang

If your hoses are that bad that you don't trust them enough to squeeze them while they are hot, they need to be replaced.